Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Jacob1 on September 04, 2020, 09:58:33 am
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Wanting to make a bow and wanted to ask people who knew what they were doing .
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the best way to learn is to just start :) get a clean stick or a straight grained board and start bending it! post pics and ask questions here the guys here have helped plenty of people build their first bow.
don't be upset if your first couple bows aren't very good or break, thats just part of the leaning process.
there are plenty of good books on the subject and they are useful for having all the information consolidated in one place rather then hunting around online. on that subject there are some good youtube series and i think a couple of forum members have free websites with information available if reading is more your learning style.
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It helps if we know where you are, as resources are not evenly distributed around the globe.
And we can't always help if we are on another continent!
Del
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I am located in va USA also is rattan/manau good for beginners cus I found a place that sells it cheap and heard it was good for bows
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isnt rattan a cane? well, what i would recommend would be a red oak, hickory, white oak, or hard maple board. i started with red oak and maple but i would recommend hickory or white oak if you have it in store.
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Check out George Tsoukalas' site for very good info for beginners and anyone, actually.
http://traditionalarchery101.com/archer.html
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Joining this community is a great first step. It's how many of us got our start. Some things you'll want to consider... Do you want to work with boards or split staves (or both). Boards are cheaper and don't require seasoning but there is some basic skill and knowledge required to select a good board for a bow, both in species and grain orientation. Also, think about what kind of learner you are. Some people do well with a book in their hand, figuring it out on their own. Some like hands on, face to face help. For that you could find a skilled bowyer near you who teaches workshops or would be willing to help you out one on one. There are a lot of good youtube videos out there, many that will walk you through the whole process. You can even use the forum here to have people walk you through. You can post pictures of your progress at each step and people will give you their advice. The benefit is that you can get a variety of approaches and ideas, the down side is that you will get a variety of approaches and ideas. ;D If you don't have any experience it can be hard to know who to listen to if the advice is conflicting. For me, I was lucky enough to have an outstanding bowyer living within a couple hours of me and I paid him to help me make a bow. Then I made friends with other local bowyers and worked with them and picked their brains. I also frequented this forum and asked a lot of questions and carefully observed other people's process and finished products. My advice is to make sure you're starting with a good, clean straight piece of wood from a reputable bow wood species, either a board or a stave. Then pick a simple and straight forward flatbow design with straight limbs and focus on understanding the basics of design and tiller. Don't try to make your first bow be the best bow in the world that will serve every purpose you want out of a bow. That's too much pressure. Have a basic goal for draw weight and draw length and shoot for that but only stop when you've got a perfect tiller, even if that means you have a 20# bow. What part of the country are you in? that will dictate your local woods and might help you find other bowyers in your area.
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oh! and a tillering gizmo!!! those are very helpful when your just starting and i still use a straight edge.
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Get the books “the traditional bowyers bible” vol 1 & 4. Your library should be able to get them for you via the Ill program. Find a stave source, if you live in a wooded area this is simple as finding an area that is being cleared off for a subdivision or high line clearing. Ask for permission to cut a 4” diameter hickory, elm, hackberry tree. Look for one that is straight non twisted bark, and free of limbs or large knots from ground level to a couple inches over your head. Get it split in half, bark peeled and ends sealed, and out of the weather to dry. While waiting on it to dry, and waiting on your books to come in,watch instructional videos on YouTube (clay Hayes has some good ones). Get a simple tool kit together of a hatchet with a thin bit, good ferriers rasp, and a scraper. Make a tillering tree and a tillering gizmo. You should be ready to bend some wood before you know it with very little monetary investment
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Also, read/get "The Bent Stick" by Paul Comstock, it has a very good beginners' layout , instruction and a ice section. Be patient, remember, the only dumb question is the one you don't ask! Take lots of pictures and have fun! Welcome to PA!
Hawkdancer
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I live in the city with no forest nearby But I have the tools to split staves and will try a board bow also are atlatls also discussed on this site ?
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There are also a ton of really awesome videos available on the internet on bow building. But not all YouTube bowyers are created equal. I really found Clay Hayes’ and Weyin Olives’ (swiftwood bows) series on YouTube to be extremely helpful. Both have videos on first bows or board bows and are very good teachers. Good luck!
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A city with no trees nearby.....where do you live???
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Well I do have trees nearby but I couldn’t find the owners to nearby woods I live in va beach
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If you get into the website for your county it should have a parcel viewer or GIS services page. It will list the property lines and owner of each piece of land. With that you can either stop by and ask in person or use the name/address to find a phone number. I find that most people I talk to see pretty cool when you are polite and willing to take no for an answer. Also, rattan will make a bow, you can use the search on this site and find people who have done it.
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Ok thank you
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If you have to use boards, it is a good viable alternative to staves IF you can find good lumber to work with. It has been easier for me to find good staves than boards. Hardwood Boards are cut for building furniture, cabinets, pallets etc. You have to look hard for a board stave that will work for bow making, and then hope that it has no unseen degradation during its processing from log to lumber. Search for a hardwood sawmill or a portable sawyer in your area. If it’s a smaller operation you should be able to talk to the sawyer and have a better chance at getting what you are needing. Boo and hickory backed lumber bows are awesome, but material costs start to add up. I have had a many more failures using lumber than using self cut staves.
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Another outlet for obtaining cheap staves is to find someone who sells firewood. If you contact them and explain what you are looking for, they should be able to help you or point you to someone who can. If they can sell 4-6” diameter logs 6’ long for the same as they sell a truckload of cut and split firewood, they’d be silly not to. You have to be clear on what you are looking for or ask if you can go with them to cut.
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Atlatls are fair game on this site! Several of us use them, and/or make them! They will definitely draw attention if you take them to an archery range! I believe it is Ryan Gill that has a good website on hunting with the atlatl, much more difficult than a bow to get accuracy and sealth, but as easy as throwing a football. Fun to use!
Hawkdancer
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traditional native americans from tidewater used hickory and maybe white oak ? I might be able to post scans if you are interested in NA bow from your area.
saplings could be found in unlikely places as a swamp behind a shopping center etc.
the "Cave Men only "Oooga Booga"" has atlatl stuff, do you throw?
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I’m sitting in a ditch with the first bow I’ve finished for me...gave my first two away...waiting on an Antelope to come by. I started two years ago. I’ll reinforce...get and read at minimum the Trad. Boyers Bible Vol 1...more you read, the better. I second looking up Clay Hayes on YouTube and you might consider joining his Patreon group. He does a lot of great vids regarding a lot of this stuff...but he has a great series on building bows from Osage. You might have people tell you to start with hickory or start busy building a board bow...it’s probably wise advice. I, however, figured I’d just jump into working with Osage, as this is the wood that really cranks my scooter. I made a couple of kids bows then got 4-6 different bows to various states of completion before making fatal mistakes and screwing them up. Failure is a great teacher! I have places in Indiana and Ohio where Osage is plentiful and the landowners care nothing for the tree. If you take a weekend and ride toward Ohio and scout it out, I’m sure you can find folks willing to let you cut Osage off their property...just knock, chat, and ask. Lots of good videos on harvesting, splitting, and sealing staves on YouTube too. Good luck! You are about to get hooked on something you’ll try to perfect and not quite get there for the rest of your days...it’s awesomely addictive!
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I’m sitting in a ditch with the first bow I’ve finished for me...gave my first two away...waiting on an Antelope to come by......
welcome to PA, SS.
One of your first bows is on an antelope hunt? sounds challenging! hope you can post some pics even if there is no antelope in the background. good advice for jacob1 btw.
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I just drove up to Va Beach last summer and bought a truckload of seasoned osage staves off of him. 8) He'd had them sitting around since the early 90's.